Borussia Dortmund secured Champions League qualification by finishing fourth on the final day after spending most of the season outside the top four. A managerial change in January preceded a late surge of seven wins and one draw across the last eight matchdays, totaling 22 of 24 possible points and a five-game winning streak with at least three goals per match. The team is still recovering physical fitness after a Club World Cup run and requires six to eight weeks to adapt. St. Pauli conceded 41 goals in 34 games, employ a direct attacking style, and represent a difficult opening opponent.
I don't judge a start based on the first Bundesliga matchday, but rather after six games - three home and three away games. Then you can say approximately where you stand and what you can still expect. The body needs six to eight weeks to adapt. Last season, we were still working on stamina and playing games at the same time - that will certainly be the case for some time this season too.
We'll have a tough nut to crack there. They go forward with a very direct style of football. We'll have to be careful there too, in terms of our own positioning. We have to try to keep the opposition as far from goal as possible.
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